Sanitary roll-towel cabinet



April 29, 1930. I E. T. HAILS 1,756,822

SANITARY ROLL TOWEL CABINET Filed Feb. 16, 1925 25 I'll -1 I I/[Ill],

Suvcul'oz 5 f. ZHH/LS.

g L w art-re latented Apr 29, 1930 UNITED sTATEs PATENT OFFICE EDWARD '1, HAILS, OF MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, .ASfiGNOR TO SUPER SAN TOWEL CABINET COMPANY, 01 MONTGOMERY, ALABAMA, A CORPORATION OF ALABAMA SANITARY ROLL-TOWEL CABINET Application filed February 16,1928. sem mi. 619,482.

My invention relates to an improvement in roll towel cabinets.

One object of my invention is to make the cabinet sanitary and to this end I design the 5 cabinet so that the clean and soiled towel rolls are kept separated, preferablybein disposed in separate compartments in the ca inet, and no part which contacts with the soiled towel can touch the clean towel.

A further object of my invention is to so control the feeding of the clean towel from its roll that it cannot slip relatively to the feed means and this will result in the friction andtake-up rolls always moving to the same extent. By this means I prevent. an increase length of the exposed towel loop being drawn out from the cabinet, for if slippage is permitted by a friction'roll the length of the towel exposed will tendto increase each time it is pulled or jerked so that in time it will hang down to the floor. I

A further object of my invention is to provide means associated with the clean towel roll means about which the towel is so threaded and which are so relatively movable that a hard or sudden jerk on the clean towel will cause them to grip it positivel and hold it against slippage relative to a 'ction roller which is geared to a friction roller for the soiled towel take-up roll.

A furtherobject is toiso mount the takeup roll and its friction roll and to so thread the towel around them that there is no tendency of towel slippage at this oint when it is pulled or jerked, and a positlve take-up is at'all times insured.

A further'object is to provide the friction rolls with a simple and inexpensive covering which 'will not be affected by moisture and to this end I utilize rolls, preferably wooden rolls, covered with ordinaryroofing.

A further object of my invention is to provide the-cabinet with an indicator controlled b the movement of the center or axis of th c ean towel roll to indicate the time the cabthe other end wall of t inet is empty and at all times the approximate amountof towel unused.

My invention further comprises the novel details of construction and arrangements of parts, which in their preferred embodiment only are illustrated in the accompanying drawings which form a part of this specification, and in which q Fig. 1 is a front elevation of the cabinet broken away to show half of'the interior in elevation.

Fig. 2 is a vertical cross-section view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail view showing one side wall of the cabinet and illustrating the manner of threading the towel, the three rolls being shown separatedin full lines to better illustrate the manner of threading the towel thereon, and in dotted lines to better illusrate how the towel is gripped to prevent sli page.

- imilar reference numerals referto similar parts throughout the drawings.

In. the embodiment of my invention illu'seclean towel roll 6.

rearwardly and downwardly on an incline I towardsa friction roll 8 which is journaled in fixed hearings in one end wall 9 of the cabinet and in a vertical front to rear partitionwall 9, which is s aced suificiently from he cabinet to permit a gear-10 to be mounted on the overhung end of the axis 11 of this friction roll. The walls 9 and 9 of the compartment 4 are also provided with guide grooves or slots 12 which are rearwardly over and about the friction rollv 8, it can be passed upwardly-and over the guide roll 13 and then downwardly over a.

guide 15 past the front edge of the partition p 3, and thence through an opening16 at the lower forward portion of the cabinet below the door.- After forming the service loop, the soiled-towel passes upwardly through a slot'17 in the rear portion of the bottom 18 of the cabinet and thence between ,a pair of smoothing guides 19 upwardly and forwardly over and about a friction roll. 20, and then downwardly and rearwardly under-the soiled towel take-up roll 22. The friction roll 20 is mounted like the friction roll 8 in the walls 9 and 9 and has on its overhung axis a gear 21 meshing-the gear 10'. The gears are typical of any suitable drive which will connect the friction rollers so that they will move together with the same peripheral speeds. ,T his friction roll 20 is mounted above the take-up roll 22 on which thesoiled towel is rewou-nd and which has a spring 23,.connected at both ends 't o its axis and secured overhead tothe partition or rear wall of the cabinet,which acts to .draw the take-up roll firmly up against its resp'ective friction roll. The towel passes rearwardly aboutand under its take-up roll and the position of the latter is such relatively to the guides 19that the towel forms almost a complete bite' about the friction roll 20.

Both friction rolls 8 and 20 are preferably made of wooden rollers havinga covering layer of compoistion roofing 24 applied thereto soas to give them a moisture proof, durable frictional surface. i

An index pointer'25 projects through a suitable opening in the top 26 of the cabinet and is operated by a hinged rod27- having journaled in itslower end a roller 28 disposed .,with' its axis parallel with the axis of the towel roll 6 and resting by gravity thereon. The roller 28 will descend in following the diminishing diameter of said roll '6, as the towel is unwound therefrom, and as it drops the hinged rod 27 will, in proportion to the diminishing diameter of the towel roll 6, move the index hand across an indicator 29 mounted at the front of the cabinet in convenient position to be viewed by the user. and

I having suitable-marks or symbols displayed thereon so as to indicate theapproximate amount of clean towel remaining unused in the cabinet and to give notice when the cabinet is empty. I

In 0 eration, it is to be obser ed that the towel orms almost a complete 00p or bite about both the friction rolls 8 and 20, thus giving it the maximum frictional engagement therewith. Bearing in mind that the upper guide roller 13 is free to-move towards and. engage the friction roller 8, it follows that when the towel is pulled o'r jerked down thls roll is drawn into tight towel gripping contact with the friction roll, thereby increasing the frictional engagement of the towel therewith to such a degree that it is practically impossible for the towel to slip about its upper friction roller 8. This being true, it follows that as thetowel isdrawn out'this friction roll 8. must'be at all times proportionately rotated, and this roll being geared to the friction roll-20, will transmit to the latter the same peripheral movement as that of the roll 8 and will rewind the exact amount of soiled towel that is drawn oil of the roll 6 onto the take-up roll 22. This is of very great importance in preventing the exposed towel loop from being increased by-reason of slippage until it becomes too long.

The partition wall. 3 and the relative position of the guide 15 and the slot 16 keep the clean towel out of contact with any part ofthe soiled towel, and the clean towel being stored in the overhead cabinet'compartment iskept entirely sanitary. The rolls 6, 1 3 and 22 can all be readily removed by sliding them along their respective guides and out through the front of the cabinet when it is desired to thread on a clean towel, and as the towel s used the index hand will at all times lndicate the extent to which it is used and will give notice when the cabinet is empty. The small guides-19 will serve to straighten out the soiled toweland get it'in condition to be rewound smoothly on the take-up roll 22. While, if desired, the take-up roll 22 may be held to its work and the bite formed in the soiled towel for the friction roll 20 exactly as shown in the compartment 4, nevertheless the spring arrangement shown ple and compact organization. Should the gravity action be'used in thelower compartment 5 of the arrangement would be identical as in compartment 4- exceptthe roll 13 would thenbe disposed at the rear instead of at the front 'of the take-up roll.

Though I have described with great pargives a simin arrangement and substitution of equivalents may be made by those slzilled in the art without departing'fromjthe invention as de- Having thusdescribed my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

fined in the appended claim.

A towel cabinet having inclined slots.

therein, a support for a clean towel supply a roll adapted for frictional contact wit a towel web, and thecabinet having an o ening through which said towel web may be rawn,

and means for prev enting a towel user from causing an overthrow of toweling from said supply, said means including a guide roll having its upper surface above the lower surface of said friction roll, said guideroll having journals pivoted in said inclined slots, the construction being such that a hard sudden pull on said towel web will cause said guide roll, to move along said slots toward said friction roll and cooperate therewith to grip the towel between the said rolls.

In testimony whereof I aflix mysignature.

EDWARD T HAILS. 

